A Path Through the Sea

Transcription

1 A Path Through the Sea Bible Story Exodus 14:1 15:20 Teacher Challenge God was with His people as they escaped from Egypt. He showed them right at the beginning of their trip that He was all-powerful. They were trapped with the army hot on their heels and the sea in front of them. They were afraid. It was certain death. Only God could push the waters apart to let His people escape from the advancing army. Only God could time the rushing back of the waters in their place when the Egyptian army was crossing. He completely destroyed the enemy in moments. Describe your view of God s power in your life right now. What are some things that you re not sure He can accomplish? Ask God to help you gain an eternal perspective. How is He using His work in your life to draw others to Himself? We all need to feel safe. But life is a risky business! That s the reason both you and the children you teach need to know that God is with us and will take care of us, no matter how risky things seem! Thank God often for His care. This will remind both you and the children that when we talk to God, He is there and He is powerful! Teacher s Planning 1. Choose which centers you will provide and the order in which children will participate in them. For tips on schedule planning, see page Plan who will lead each center, making sure to have one adult for approximately every six children. For staffing tips and ideas, see page Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide 49

2 Play to Learn Active Game Center: Through the Sea Bible, blue fabric or large sheet of blue paper. 1. Hold fabric or paper with another child in the middle of an open area. 2. Children line up at one end of the open area. Secretly choose a child and whisper that child s name to the child who is holding the fabric or paper with you. One at a time children skip up to the sea and back to the line. When the chosen child reaches the sea, raise the fabric or paper; all children run under the fabric or paper to the other side of the room. Repeat activity until each child has been chosen. Talk About In our Bible story today, God kept His people safe while they were traveling to live in a new land. One time, God made a dry path through a big sea of water so that the people could escape from a mean king s army. God s people thanked Him for taking care of them. Who has God given to care for you? The Bible says, How does it make you feel to know God gave you all these people to take care of you? We can thank God that He always cares for us. Pray briefly, Thank You, God, for always caring for me. For Younger Children Expect to play this game many times with children. Keep games easy-going and noncompetitive. The fun for young children is in the doing, not in the end result of winning or losing. For Older Children As children become familiar with the game, invite a child to take your place and hold the fabric or paper with another child Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide

3 Play to Learn Art Center: Play-ugh Path Bible; play dough and plastic knife for each child. 1. Give each child a fist-sized ball of play dough. Children shape play dough into sea with waves, saving a small part of their dough. Distribute plastic knives and assist children in cutting their sea in two, making a path down the middle of the water (see sketch). 2. Children use the remaining dough to form small balls representing people. Children move people on the path. Talk About In today s Bible story, God kept His people safe on a very long trip. He helped them cross a big sea. Let s make the sea with our play dough. When God s people reached the other side of the sea, they sang songs to God. They wanted to thank God for taking care of them. The Bible says, What do you want to thank God for? We can thank God for caring for us. One way to show our thanks to God is by praying. Pray briefly, Dear God, thank You for caring for us. We love You. For Younger Children Instead of using a knife, children tear sea apart to form the path through the sea. For Older Children Provide another color play dough (brown, yellow or pink) for children to form into balls representing people Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide 51

4 Play to Learn Block Center: Folded-Paper Path Bible, eight sheets of blue construction paper, tape, blocks, toy people. Prepare Fold and tape papers as shown in sketches. 1. Children place construction paper on floor and then use blocks to make a road that stops at the edge of the construction paper. 2. Briefly tell today s Bible story. Guide children to act out the story with toy people, folding up the sea at the appropriate time. Talk About One time, God made a dry path through a big sea so that His people could escape from a mean king s army. To make the dry path, God sent a big wind that moved the water back out of the way. God s people thanked God for caring for them and keeping them safe. The Bible says, We can thank God because He cares for us and keeps us safe. Who helps you to stay safe? What does she do? We can thank God for your big sister who helps you to safely cross the street. For Younger Children While talking about the story, invite everyone to blow loudly to represent the wind God sent. For Older Children After telling the story, invite a volunteer to retell the story while moving toy people to act out the story action Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide

5 Play to Learn Science Center: Leaf People Bible, leaves, construction paper, glue, crayons or markers; optional other nature items (acorns, grass, bark, sand, etc.), copies of Body Outline from Discovering God s Love CD-ROM. 1. Set out leaves for children to examine. 2. Each child chooses a leaf and glues it onto construction paper. Child uses crayons or markers to draw face, arms and legs of person. (Optional: Children glue leaves and other nature items to Body Outline from CD-ROM.) Talk About One way God cares for us is by giving us people who live with us and care for us. Let s use these leaves to make pictures of people. Who are the people in your family? What are some of the ways your father helps take care of the people in your family? Repeat, naming other family members. The Bible says, I thank and praise you, O God. We can thank and praise God because He always cares for us. Who helps you take a bath? Cooks dinner? Reads you stories? Helps you get dressed? How does it make you feel to know God gave you all these people to take care of you? We can thank God that He always cares for us. For Younger Children Make a copy of Body Outline from the CD-ROM for each child. Children glue leaves or nature items to page. For Older Children Children create leaf people to represent their family and talk about how each person cares for them Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide 53

6 Listen to Learn Exodus 14:1 15:20 Bible, Bible Story 7 pictures from God s Story for Me Poster Pack #1, Preschool Music #1 CD and player, large sheet of paper, marker. Greet Each Other Children sit in a circle. We re going to play a game to help us remember the names of our friends. Call out one name. Named child skips around the circle and then returns to his or her place in the circle. God cares for (name child). Repeat game, naming a different child for each round. Tell the Story Open your Bible to Exodus 14. Tell the story using the pictured motions (keywords in bold) or show Bible Story 7 pictures. Have you ever been in a really big windstorm? What happened? Today we re going to hear what happened when God caused a very big wind to blow. God s people were on a long trip. God told Moses where to go and where to stop. Steppety-step, steppety-step the people walked and walked and walked. Clippetyclop, clippety-clop the animals also walked and walked and walked. God s people were going to a new home far away. One day God s people stopped in front of a big sea. They looked around. All they could see was lots and lots of water in front of them. The people felt afraid. They didn t know how to get across the water. There were no boats to ride in. There was no bridge to walk across. Moses knew the people felt afraid. Moses said, n t be afraid. God will help us. Moses held his hand up over the water, just as God told him to do. Then God sent a great big wind to blow the water out of the way. O-o-o! How the wind blew! O-o-o! The wind blew some of the water to one side. O-o-o! The wind blew some of the water to the other side. Right in the middle of the water was a dry path for the people and animals to walk on. They walked all the way to the other side without even getting their feet wet! Then God told Moses to hold his hand over the water again. The wind stopped. All the water splashed together again and covered up the dry path. The people were very happy that God had helped them. They sang songs to God. Some women played tambourines. They wanted to show their thanks to God for His care and help Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide

7 Talk About the Story How did God s people thank God for His help? (They sang songs and played tambourines.) God s people sang songs to thank God. We can thank God for His care, too! Sing to God We can thank and praise God because He always cares for us. Lead children in singing Sing Praises (track 16 on CD). What would you like to thank God for today? On paper, print children s responses. Place paper where parents can read it when they pick up their children. Hear and Say Holding your Bible open to, say verse aloud. What two things does this verse tell us we can do? (Thank and praise God.) Then lead children in repeating the verse by clapping their hands on each word. Repeat with other motions: stomping feet, clapping hands over heads, slapping knees, etc. Pray to God Lead children in prayer, thanking God that He always cares for us. Include in your prayer the items mentioned by children during the song activity. Option: If you take a weekly offering during this worship time, explain to children that the money is used to help people learn about God. Giving money is one way to thank God for caring for us. Praise to God Lead children in doing the motions as you say the rhyme. God gave me feet that can turn me around; God gave me hands that can touch the ground. God gave me legs that can jump to the side; God gave me knees that can bend and glide. So I thank God, cause it s easy to see God is good and He cares about me! 2011 Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide 55

8 Talk to Learn Bible Story Activity Pages Center 2009 Gosp A copy of Activity 7 from The Big Book of Bible Story Activity Pages #1 for yourself and each child, scissors, crayons or markers; optional fabric scraps, glue. Name to the origin al purchaser Lead children to complete pages following the instructions. (Optional: Children glue fabric to Moses robe.) Use the conversation suggestions as children complete their pages and retell the story. fold only. The Big Book of Bible Story Activity Pages #1 Puzzle 5 Preschool Puzzle Center d through the Red Sea. 35 y walke als when the als. s wore sand g sand The Israelite the matchin n ee tw be Draw lines sandal! for the extra Watch out What did God do to help We can say His people cross the sea? Thank You, God, for helpi ng us. Copies of Puzzles 5 and 6 (p. 17 and p. 19 from The Big Book of Kindergarten Puzzles) for each child; pencils, crayons or markers. Children complete the puzzles and color pages. Use the conversation suggestions on the pages. Read-Aloud Story Center for them. se He cared God becau es thanked for us, too. 3). The Israelit (Daniel 2:2 t He cares nk God tha you, O God ise pra d We can tha s, I thank an Our Bible say er sion Gospel Ligh t. Permis A copy of Story Picture 3 from The Big Book of Read-Aloud Stories #1 for yourself and each child, crayons or markers, glue, short piece of red yarn for each child. Trace your et of pap foot on a she t. for your foo 17 dal S Draw a sanond sandal to match. I than le Kindergarten Puzzles a sec Draw B EA! t the dots. Co k duciban ID Book of Repro d pra lor the ed. The Big U Co ONnnec ission el Light. Perm 2001 Gosp to photoco py granted to original to photocopy grant picture. ise you, O God. Draw an d color what Nin Daniel a found 2:23 under the pillow. Glue a pie ce of red yarn on the ca p. purchaser only. The Big Book of Rea d-a loud Stor Read the story and distribute pictures. Use the conversation suggestions as children complete their pages. Bible Story Activity 7 I thank an d praise yo u, O God. el Light. Perm ission to photo copy granted Teacher cuts and prefolds page. Child folds and colors page. Child uses page to retell story action. ies #1 11 Story Pic ture Gospel Light. Permission to photocopy granted to original purchaser only. Discovering God s Love Leader s Guide